International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Bojana Krsmanović
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for Byzantine Studies, Belgrade, Serbia;
[e-mail]
Ljubomir Milanović
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for Byzantine Studies, Belgrade, Serbia; 
[e-mail] 
Visual Representations of Patriarch Ignatios of Constantinople
This paper analyzes visual representations of patriarch Ignatios of Constantinople (847-858, and 
867-877) in a variety of media (monumental art, miniatures, applied arts) from the 9
th
-13
th
century. 
The iconographic representation of patriarch Ignatios varies, and the key difference is in the depiction 
of his face with, or without, a beard. Given the well-known fact that Ignatius was castrated at the age 
of 14, we consider the lack of consistency in representations showing him beardless or with a full 
beard. In some historical scenes where he is accompanied by other individuals, he is shown bearded; 
whereas, at other times, he is clean-shaven. Considering these, and other factors, the authors draw 
upon primary sources that record contemporary attitudes toward Ignatios’s status as a eunuch.
Аlex Rodriguez-Suarez
Koç University, Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations, Istanbul, Turkey; 
[e-mail] 
The Archangel Gabriel: Patron Saint of the Macedonian Dynasty?
The Archangel Gabriel is a significant figure in Christianity. He acts as God’s messenger and 
thus he is well-known for his role in the Annunciation. Nevertheless, Gabriel never became as 
popular as his companion the Archangel Michael. The Byzantines regarded the latter as a soldier 
and a protector to whom they dedicated many shrines, both in and outside Constantinople. During 
the reign of Basil I, however, the Archangel Gabriel seems to have played a more prominent role, 
at least within the imperial sphere. For instance, the lavish manuscript Parisinus Graecus 510 
includes a portrait of the first Macedonian emperor being crowned by Gabriel. Moreover, it has 
been pointed out that the church built by Basil within the imperial palace, the Nea Ekklesia, was 
also dedicated, among others, to Gabriel. It has been suggested that Basil’s odd devotion to Gabriel 
was related to the fact that he had ordered the killing of the previous emperor and namesake of the 
archangel, Michael III. Thus, a close association with the Archangel Michael would have acted as 
an embarrassing reminder of how Basil had ascended the throne. It has also been argued that the 
special devotion to the Archangel Gabriel was discontinued by Basil’s successor, Leo VI. Yet, some 
evidence suggests that Leo indeed carried on the imperial association with the Archangel Gabriel. 
In this paper I will discuss two pieces of material evidence -an ivory and a mosaic- which show 
that the Archangel Gabriel continued to play an important role in the imperial propaganda of Leo’s 
court. This continuation can be seen as an indication that Gabriel became a sort of patron saint of 

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the Macedonian dynasty. Nonetheless, the analysis of the two imperial commissions together with 
the reading of Leo’s own writings demonstrate that there was a shift in the way in which the image 
of the archangel was used, suggesting that Leo’s devotion to Gabriel was in fact the result of his 
personal religious preferences.